Russian Hackers Mod a Dilapidated Opel to Drive by iPad

wired.com

29 points·swohns··11 comments

Car firmware that controls all the servos, the camera and interfaces with the iPad over the WiFi is done in ... drumroll ... node.js.

[1] http://www.g0l.ru/blog/n3688/

Works fine, except when on an unexpected collision course with a child and a garbage collector (or JIT) kicked in.

I love how HN loves node.js and hates Perl for pretty much the same reasons.

Same thing done 3 years ago with an iPhone and some Waterloo/UT students: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x5IziyOcAg

So theoretically you can install something like that on a helicopter and control it over the wireless.

Or practically get a Parrot AR.Drone [1], unless you already have the helicopter.

[1] http://ardrone2.parrot.com/ar-drone-2/arfreeflight-20/

How long before mods like this show up on remotely driven car bombs in war zones like Syria?

I shall be impressed when it can go and get me a pizza. :)

In Soviet Russia iPad Drives You!

Way to go Wired: the video refuses to play on a stock Chromium browser (no Flash).

Geez: is is that hard to serve videos in a HTML5 format recognized by a Flash-less Chrome browser? I mean: many websites seems to be doing it perfectly fine...

(btw I didn't pay attention before clicking: when I see Wired, CNN or Fox, for example, I'm never opening these links : )

> Geez: is is that hard to serve videos in a HTML5 format recognized by a Flash-less Chrome browser?

Yes, it's hard. HTML5 standardized nothing but the tag. Each browser chose to support a different codec.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML5_video#Browser_support

Reply on news.ycombinator.com